Clean Machines

At a CORSA Convention, pretty much everyone wants to wash their car. The Concours participants are practically obsessive about this, but those entering the People’s Choice Car Display want a clean car, too. And this year, since the Concours cars will remain on the field during the Car Display and we are encouraging every Corvair owner to put their car in the Car Display, we expect that everyone will want to wash their car.

At the Sturbridge Host Hotel we will have four garden hose connections for vehicle hand washing, located outside the Exhibit Hall and adjacent to the Concours classification area. But even with four available hoses, demand could be high and some persons prefer a commercial car wash.

Unfortunately, according to Concours coordinator Ken Schifftner there appear to be no coin-operated car washes within a reasonable distance of the hotel. There is one about four miles east of the hotel, but it appears to not be operational at this time. The next nearest one is about 20 miles away.

However, Ken found a drive-through car wash right on Main Street in Sturbridge, about three or four miles west of the hotel. It is part of a gas/tire center with multiple service bays. Ken has spoken with the owner to alert him to the convention.

At the moment it appears that your best option for washing your car will be to bring your own bucket and sponge and be patient and cooperative with your fellow Corvair owners at the wash station at the hotel.

Registration is OPEN!

A message from convention publicity coordinator Allan Lacki:

REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

As you might expect, to participate in CORSA Convention activities, you need to be a current CORSA member. If you are, then you can register for the CORSA Convention in any one of three ways:

1. Pre-register and pre-pay online. You'll be sure to lock-in reservations for the activities you want! And the event organizers will have all your registration info ahead of time, which makes for better efficiency for timing, scoring, awards, and announcements.

2. Pre-register via U.S. Mail. Visit the Convention website, print out the hardcopy registration form, fill it in, and mail it to CORSA with your check or credit card number.

3. Register in-person at the Convention. Yes, of course we will have a fully-staffed registration booth at the host hotel where you can fill in the registration forms and pay your fees. But it may be a bit risky. Some of the events may be sold out before you arrive! Don't say we didn't warn you!

Join CORSA now and save up to $45!

Did you say you are not a member of CORSA? Well, now is the time to join! If you have not been a CORSA member in the last year, the CORSA Board and the NECC Convention Committee have agreed to waive the Individual or Family Registration Fees for persons joining in time for this year's International Convention at Sturbridge, Massachusetts.

For complete registration information and instructions, click here!

The Pokey, the Slammer, the Hoosegow

An Update from Brian O’Neill, Convention Chairman

In mid-April, convention deputy chairman Ray Bombardier of Bay State Corvairs and I met to visit with event suppliers and go over some outstanding details. We almost got arrested!

Ray met me at the Sturbridge Host Hotel driving his beautiful, well-running 1962 Monza coupe. (Are you picking up on the whole 1962 thing here?) After we left our last appointment, we took Route 20 back to the hotel. It was sunny, mild day and jokingly I said to Ray, "keep driving!" To my surprise, he did!

Ray took me to Quabbin State Park. There's an observation tower there that is a must-see while you're at the convention. At the foot of the tower hill is a big parking lot, with a sign at the base of the road reading "No Vehicles Allowed." Ray waited there while I walked up the road to the tower and climbed to the top.

WOW! What a view of the Quabbin Reservoir and the surrounding countryside. I went back down the hill and told Ray we should drive his car up the restricted road to the bottom of the tower for a photo.

Ray, being a law-abiding guy, wasn't sure of the plan and told me that as soon as we did a park ranger would appear out of thin air. No way, I said. Ray trusted me and drove up the hill to the base of the tower.

You could see this coming, right? The ranger showed up within seconds.

Before the ranger could say anything, I told him we could read but used the road because of the convention, blah, blah, blah. Turned out he was car guy. A VW guy to boot who liked air-cooled engines. To Ray's relief, he let us stay for a few minutes. Ray was further relieved that he would not have to call his wife and tell her to deliver his tooth brush to the local jail.

And we got the photo, too.

Although not as exciting, a lot of other good things happened over the weekend in Sturbridge. I met with the rally committee of Bob Scheidel and Mike Kovacs who along with Dave Delancey are hard at work on the route. The rally will be an excellent mix of challenge and enjoyment.

While there we also locked up agreements with our trophy guy and the T-shirt vendor. Thanks goes to Ken Shifftner of NJACE who made the original contact with the trophy shop and John Texieria of Bay State for following up on the lead.

On Sunday, Ray Zabinski, NECC veep and Director of Track Operations, and Ken Klingaman of NJACE, autocross designer extraordinaire, toured Stafford Motor Speedway where out autocross will take place. It's a great facility with spectator seating. You'll enjoy the show.

See you in Sturbridge!

Dr. Suess Plays Basketball on a Motorcycle

Of the countless things you can do while visiting New England this summer, we’ll bet that you did not think of combining the Cat in the Hat, Basketball, and Indian Motorcycles into a day trip. But you could.

The nearby city of Springfield, Massachusetts, is considered the "birthplace of basketball" and the beautiful Basketball Hall of Fame (formally, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame) is located there.

So is the Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History, which includes The Esta Manthos Indian Motorcycle Collection, with more than two dozen of the iconic bikes on display.

Adjacent to the museum housing the Indians is a collection of five bronze sculptures commemorating the life and work of Springfield native Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Suess.

Yes, in one visit to Springfield – 35 miles from Sturbridge – you can experience everyone from Larry Bird to Yertle the Turtle, with Burt Munro thrown in for good measure!

You can find information on the Basketball Hall of Fame here, and several other Springfield museums, including the Indian Motorcycle Collection and the Dr. Suess Memorial Garden, here.

CPF 50th Anniversary Display

2012 is, obviously enough, the 50th anniversary of the 1962 Corvair, and so the Corvair Preservation Foundation, in cooperation with the Northeast Corvair Council, is organizing a special display of 1962 Corvairs to take place during the big Peoples’ Choice Car Display at the convention on Saturday, July 28.

Your 1962 Corvair is needed for this display!
　
In 1962, Corvairs were available in eight distinct body styles and 12 distinct model configurations, more than any other year. We would like to have on hand one representative of each body style if not each model. This means we need a 1962 four-door sedan, 1962 two-door coupé, 1962 station wagon, 1962 convertible, 1962 Greenbrier sportswagon, 1962 Corvan cargo van, 1962 Rampside pickup, and a 1962 Loadside pickup.
　
If we are to display one of every 1962 model, then we need a 500 coupé, 700 coupé, 700 4-door sedan, 700 station wagon, Monza coupé, Monza four-door sedan, Monza convertible, Monza station wagon, Greenbrier sportswagon, Corvan cargo van, Rampside pickup, and a Loadside pickup.
　
We can easily round this up to 14 if we consider the Spyder coupé and convertible as separate models. In 1962 Chevrolet did not market the Spyders as separate models, but most Corvair enthusiasts think of them that way.
　
Add the new-for-‘62 Fitch Sprint and we have the potential to display 15 distinct 1962 Corvairs.
　
If you own one of these Corvairs and can bring it to the convention, please contact CPF President Don Kellogg by clicking this link.  You can also get in touch with Don via his contact information as published in each issue of the CORSA Communique.

We expect the 2012 convention Car Display to be one of the biggest all-Corvair shows ever, and these 1962 Corvairs will be given a special place of prominence – but only if you make arrangements with Don beforehand to include your car.

Get Your Name Out There!

Upwards of 800 Corvair enthusiasts and their families will gather at the Sturbridge Host Hotel this summer for the convention of the Corvair Society of America, the first time this annual event has been held in New England. It's a great opportunity for you to put your name in front of a receptive and loyal audience.

Opportunities range from advertising in the convention souvenir program booklet (given to all registrants) to sponsoring individual events, activities, and more.

Click here to download a pdf document providing all the details, including our prices for ad space, sponsorship opportunities, and instructions. Check out the choices and contact us today to secure your place.

Ad space is limited and sponsorship opportunities are first-come first-served, so don't wait to get on board! Deadline and contact information appears on the 2nd page of the pdf!

The Engine Room

Here is an overhead shot of the engine compartment of Cal Clark’s under-restoration Rampside, taken this past weekend. Cal is still on target for having this truck at Sturbridge this summer.

Click the photo for an enlarged view.  We note a few things:

First, see how the floor of the loadbed is painted gray while the sides are red? This is the correct configuration. Many owners paint the loadbed either entirely body color or entirely a contrasting color, but Cal’s scheme is original.

Second, note the exposed primer in the open area ahead of the engine, where the heater blower housing is located. This exposed primer is also correct. We don’t know whether Cal was intentionally replicating the original overspray patterns, but he did.

What Corvair are you bringing to Sturbridge? Send a photo or two to us here, with some information, and we’ll post some of them right here on the blog!